Their connection is undeniable...

Will it last forever?

Nurse Taylor Hall is finally putting her life back together postdivorce. And a fling with sexy playboy Dr. Jack Morgan, when they’re both working at a music festival, is the perfect way to move on. Their chemistry is electric, but Taylor isn’t looking for commitment, and besides, Jack’s leaving town soon... Unless their deep, unexpected bond can convince Taylor to fight for a second chance at forever...

JANICE LYNN has a Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. She lives in the southern United States with her husband, their four children, their Jack Russell—appropriately named Trouble—and a lot of unnamed dust bunnies that have moved in since she started her writing career. To find out more about Janice and her writing visit janicelynn.com.

Also by Janice Lynn

New York Doc to Blushing Bride

Winter Wedding in Vegas

Sizzling Nights with Dr Off-Limits

It Started at Christmas…

The Nurse’s Baby Secret

The Doctor’s Secret Son

A Firefighter in Her Stocking

A Surgeon to Heal Her Heart

Heart Surgeon to Single Dad

Friend, Fling, Forever?

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

A Nurse to Tame the ER Doc

Janice Lynn

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09006-3

A NURSE TO TAME THE ER DOC

© 2019 Janice Lynn

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Note to Readers

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

 Change of font size and line height

 Change of background and font colours

 Change of font

 Change justification

 Text to speech

To Dr. Jay Trussler, for his insight into

working for a major music festival.

Thanks for the tour, the stories,

and for answering all my questions.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

YES! NURSE TAYLOR HALL mentally pumped her fist in the air as she looked across the Rockin’ Tyme music festival medical tent at the tall man wearing a “Medical Staff” T-shirt and navy shorts.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Her body had noticed a man.

Sure, the current tingles were just sparks of physical attraction, but as she’d thought good old-fashioned lust a thing of the past at the age of twenty-five, Taylor cherished the incoming zings.

She wasn’t dead inside after all.

Her ex hadn’t accomplished quite as much as she’d given him credit for this past year. Thank God.

Seeming to sense someone was watching him, the medical staff hottie glanced up from the clipboard he’d been studying and met Taylor’s gaze with eyes so brilliant she questioned if they were colored contacts. She was positive she’d never met him, but recognition flashed in his baby blues and a huge smile lit his face.

Wow. Just wow.

Awareness sparks burst into blistering red-hot flames.

Crazy that something as simple as physical attraction could make her feel so ecstatic, especially since she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but Taylor credited the heat as a sign she was healing. She truly had progressed from the beaten down woman she’d been at her divorce a year ago.

Of course she had. She was a strong, independent woman who didn’t need a man to hold her hand. She held her future. No one else.

The job interview she’d gone to earlier that day had been yet another sign of how far she’d come. She’d moved on from the past and was taking charge of her life in new and exciting ways.

Curious at the man who’d awakened her libido when she’d been so oblivious to the opposite sex for so long, she took in his features. He wasn’t the most handsome man she’d ever seen, not even close to her ex’s Hollywood perfect good looks. But there was something about this guy that had drawn her attention the moment she’d stepped into the Rockin’ Tyme music festival medical tent, which was abuzz with activity.

His shoulder-length, sun-kissed brown hair, pulled back with a rubber band, and skin told a story of someone who loved to be outdoors and spent a lot of time doing so. Someone who didn’t worry about his outward appearance, but who’d been blessed with natural good looks. Friendly face and eyes, great smile, nice body, and if he was who she thought he was, he was Amy’s friend.

Her bestie had never liked Taylor’s ex.

Amy had said she would know Dr. Jackson Morgan when she saw him. Everything inside her had “known” this man—or sure wanted to.

Taylor smiled at the hunk standing twenty or so feet away. Would he think her certifiable if she walked over to thank him?

He immediately put his clipboard down on the table in front of him and crossed the tent. Had he read her mind and was going to say, “You’re welcome.”?

Ha. She’d hug him for real.

She fought back another smile and told herself to get a grip. Just because her body suddenly remembered it was female, it didn’t mean she would dare act on those zings. After the raking over the coals Neil had put her through, she had planned to avoid men forever. Not all men were like Neil. She knew that. But no matter how many sparks and tingles, no matter how excited she was that her insides weren’t dead, when it came to men, her brain warned her to steer clear.

Men weren’t worth the trouble.

Once upon a time she’d thought she needed one. The last year had taught her she was just fine without one.

Better than fine.

“Taylor, right?” He grinned, causing happy lines to fan out from his eyes.

Great smile, she thought again as she nodded. Genuine, not calculated. A smile that radiated as much from his eyes as his mouth.

“I’m not a crazy stalker.” He chuckled. “Amy Sellars told me to be on the lookout for you.”

Another wave of disappointment that Amy wasn’t there hit Taylor. Not that Amy could help it that her grandmother had fallen and broken a hip two states away, but Taylor had really been looking forward to catching up with her best friend. Amy had come to Louisville last summer immediately following the finalization of Taylor’s divorce, but that seemed forever ago, and Taylor hadn’t done much more than cry.

Tears for lost dreams and tears of happiness that she’d escaped Neil’s controlling, abusive hands.

“Amy has a picture of the two of you on her fireplace mantel,” the medical staffer continued. “I recognized you immediately.”

Taylor knew the photo he spoke of. She had the same one displayed at the tiny apartment she’d leased following moving out of Neil’s sprawling showplace. The photo was a close-up following her and Amy’s nurse pinning ceremony. Their smiles had been huge, as had their dreams for the future.

Her university roommate had tried for years to get Taylor to work the infamous annual festival that took place in her hometown. Taylor finally had and now Amy wasn’t even in town.

Agreeing to work the music festival had been more about spending time with her friend than the generous sum she’d be paid for her three twelve-hour shifts. But the extra pay wasn’t a bad thing.

Still, if her job interview that morning had gone as well as she thought, they’d soon have lots of catch-up time.

If all went according to plan, she’d be living with her former roomie yet again. Amy had tried to get Taylor to relocate last summer, but Taylor had needed to put her life back together on her own. She’d needed to stand on her own two feet. It would have been too easy to let Amy take over and just have gone through the motions.

Which was what Taylor had done her whole life.

Gone with the flow. Done what had been expected. First with her parents and then with Neil. She’d never stepped outside the boundaries they’d set. Not until she’d left Neil and filed for divorce.

She was a work in progress but was happy with the woman emerging from the wreck she’d been. She was still peeling back the layers of years of toeing the line, but most mornings she liked the person staring back at her in the mirror.

“Amy was excited you’re working the festival.”

Taylor’s attention zoned back in on the man who was studying her. The man who’d been inside her friend’s apartment.

Was Amy dating him? She hadn’t said so, but her friend had been enthusiastic when talking about him. She’d gotten the impression Amy had been hinting at a possible romance between Taylor and the doctor during the music festival, hints Taylor had ignored because she’d not been interested in a man since long before her divorce. She had no plans for a relationship and, even if she had, she’d just as soon have her fingernails ripped out as to get involved with another doctor.

He held out his hand. “Jackson Morgan.”

He’d introduced himself without using his medical title, something her ex would never have done. Kudos for that.

“Nice to meet you, Jackson.” Taylor returned his smile, shook his hand, and marveled at the tingles of awareness that shot up her arm at the warmth of his hand.

Men sworn off or not, the guy was electric.

“My friends call me Jack,” he commented as she pulled her hand free from his.

“Jack.” Taylor let the name roll off her tongue. “You’re the hotshot traveling emergency medicine doctor Amy works with at Rockin’ Tyme each year.”

“My reputation has preceded me yet again.” His eyes danced with mischief.

Taylor tried to recall what her friend had said but couldn’t pull up much. She’d thought Amy matchmaking when she’d gone on and on about the doctor they’d be working with at the festival. Taylor had been excited about seeing her best friend, not about meeting a man. What had Amy said?

“Good looking, funny—can’t wait for you to meet him. Think you’ll really like him. He’s the best.”

“Nothing bad,” she admitted, smiling at Jack. If he and Amy were an item, then good for her friend and even better for this guy. Any man would be lucky to call Amy his own. If he was good to her friend then, doctor or not, Taylor would hug him for a totally different reason than the one that had hit her upon first seeing him.

“Good to know she’s not talking smack about me.” He glanced around the medical tent, his gaze skimming over the cots along a far side where a group of workers was chatting. “I’ll miss her being here. Hated to hear about her grandmother.”

“That makes two of us. She convinced me to sign on and now she’s not here.” Following his gaze out the open flaps of the tent, she took a deep breath. “I can’t help but wonder what she’s gotten me into.”

“No worries. She made me promise to take good care of you.”

Taylor’s gaze cut to his. “Oh?”

He grinned, and his eyes crinkled. Wow, such a great smile. “At least a dozen times—and that was just this morning.”

Taylor smiled. Her friend always had looked out for her.

If only Taylor had listened better.

Jack working as a traveling doctor must create relationship problems. “Do you get to see her often?”

“I see Amy several times a week,” he answered, looking a little surprised at her question. “I liked Warrenville so much I temporarily relocated here a couple of months ago to fill in for a doctor on an extended medical leave.”

“Oh.” Had her perky friend influenced that decision? Good for Amy. Taylor was happy for her but why hadn’t Amy told her? Maybe her friend had been afraid of jinxing whatever was happening. Still, that Amy hadn’t mentioned their relationship made Taylor sad as once upon a time they’d shared everything.

Then again, hadn’t she put on a face for her friend for years? Not wanting Amy to know the truth behind her miserable marriage?

“Have you met the rest of the crew?” Jack asked, drawing her focus back.

Taylor shook her head. “Do you already know each other?”

“Mostly,” he admitted. “There are always a few new people, but most of us come back each year. It’s a tradition. A lot of the staff are locals, but some do travel. It’s a good bunch who work the medical tent. You’ll enjoy hanging with us.”

Either way, it was just for a few days so she’d survive. She’d survived worse. Besides, wasn’t she all about new life experiences and stepping outside the box she’d lived in for so long?

“How did you get involved with the festival?” she asked, glancing out the front of the medical tent to the “oasis” that was located about a hundred yards away. Fake palm trees planted in a huge sand pit with splash pools for play and cooling down during the hot July heat.

This was definitely a new life experience.

“Music festivals are in my blood. My grandparents were hippies and actually met at Woodstock.” Grinning, he made a peace sign with his fingers. “I’ve been going to festivals since before I could walk. My parents thought I’d grow up to be a musician—or a gypsy,” he added, chuckling. “But medicine called me. Since I left med school, I’ve worked numerous festivals every year so it’s a balance of work and play. Makes me feel I’ve evolved from those days of driving across the country with a car load of buddies with nothing on our brains except good music and good times.”

“Sounds like fun.” Taylor couldn’t imagine the carefree trips he was describing. Her strict parents had barely gotten by and Taylor had had her first job at fifteen. She’d been working ever since. Even then, there’d never been money or time for cross-country road trips to soak up the sun and music. For a short while early in their relationship she’d felt happiness and a sense of peace with Neil. After their wedding, nothing had been carefree during those torturous two years.

“The best.” Jack grinned, but something was off in his smile as he looked back out over the festival. “Let me give you the low down on how things will run the next few days in the tent and introduce you to the others.”

Taylor was scheduled to work Thursday and Friday from four a.m. to four p.m. and on Sunday from four p.m. to four a.m. on Monday.

“We’re on the same work schedule,” she commented, spotting Jack’s name on the schedule near hers.

“It’s not a coincidence,” he admitted, grinning. “Amy and you are purposely on the same schedule as mine. Didn’t see a reason to change it when Amy cancelled at the last minute. How else can I keep my promise if you and I are on different schedules?”

“How indeed?” At least she was guaranteed a friendly face during her shifts because Jack seemed to always smile. He was the most laidback person she’d encountered in a long time. Maybe ever. “Do most of the crew sleep or participate in the festival activities during their down time?”

“A mixture. Most take in a few concerts. But some hang around the camping area or leave the farm to check out local attractions.”

“Is that how you fell in love with the area?”

He hesitated a minute, then said, “Amy had a lot to do with that.”

If she’d had any doubt, there was her confirmation that there was something between her friend and Jack. She fought back a fresh twinge of disappointment that he was taken, reminded herself he was a doctor and she wasn’t interested anyway. Plus, she truly was pleased for Amy. She’d just met Jack and she already liked him.

“I’m happy for you.”

He stared at her a moment, then his eyes lit with surprise. “Not sure what Amy told you...” he chuckled as he continued “...but we’re just friends. I’m sure she feels the same.”

Heat flooded her face. Just friends. “Oh.”

“You thought she and I were more?”

Oh, good grief. Her face burned. Her ears burned. Could the ground just please open and swallow her now?

“Well, you did mention you were at her apartment,” she reminded him, trying to explain why she’d thought what she had.

“At a party she threw for a co-worker.” His eyes danced with merriment. “Nothing nearly as exciting as what you were imagining.”

“Too bad for you. Amy is a great catch.” All true, but even as she said it she had to remind herself yet again that she was not interested in becoming involved, especially not with someone in the same profession as Neil. No way.

“I agree,” Jack assured her. “Amy has been talking with my best friend for the past couple of weeks. Nothing would make me happier than if the two of them continue to hit it off.”

Amy hadn’t mentioned the best friend either. Had Taylor and her bestie really grown that far apart over the past few years? She’d been so wrapped up in trying to make her marriage work and ashamed of the situation in which she’d found herself that she’d not invested time into their friendship. Yet Amy had always been there any time Taylor had called, like when she’d finally filed for divorce.

Guilt hit her. She’d do better. Lots better. It had taken her the past year to build a foundation of who she was, who she wanted to be.

“So, nothing between the two of you?” she double-checked, just to be sure she’d understood correctly.

“Friendship.”

“I’m sorry.” She really was. Amy was the best person she knew and deserved the best of everything. Maybe Jack’s friend would prove to be worthy.

“I’m not.”

“Why’s that?” Her gaze locked with his and her breath caught. His eyes sparkled like sunshine dancing across lake water.

“Let’s just say—” he was looking at her as if she were the sweetest soda pop he’d ever wanted to taste “—I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Awareness filled Taylor. Awareness that had nothing to with anything except good old-fashioned girl meets boy. Good grief. Her body didn’t seem to care about his taboo medical credentials and her ban against men.

Eek. Maybe she shouldn’t have been quite so ecstatic about her libido’s revival.

* * *

When Taylor’s brow lifted, her expression cautious, Jack chided himself for his admission. If he wasn’t careful, she was going to think he really was a stalker.

Was it considered stalking if her best friend had talked about her so much Jack had been looking forward to meeting her for weeks?

Longer.

She’d caught his eye years ago the first time he’d seen her photo. Something in her eyes, her smile had called to him. He’d been sad to learn she was married. When Amy had mentioned her divorced best friend was coming to work Rockin’ Tyme, he’d been intrigued, wondering if the real deal would intrigue him as much as her photo.

She did.

Taylor Hall was a beautiful woman. Thick almost platinum blonde hair, golden brown eyes, pouty lips, and a body he had to force himself not to think about. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, but it was something in her eyes that had snagged his attention years ago and refused to let go even now that he’d met her in person.

He suspected that although her outside packaging was beautiful, the real beauty was hidden away like a secret treasure.

Jack introduced her to the crew, all of whom were friendly but really brightened when he told them she was Amy’s friend.

“Shame Amy’s not going to be here this year,” one said, giving her hand a hearty shake.

“Sorry to hear about her grandmother,” another commented.

Robert, a paramedic from a couple of counties away, grinned, stuck his hand out to Taylor, and eyed her in much the way Jack probably had.

“Tell me I’m the luckiest guy on the planet and you’re single?”

Jack’s gaze immediately shifted to Taylor’s to see how she’d respond to the man’s blatant flirting.

Eyes wide with surprise, she eyed him, then laughed softly. “I’m single.”

Looking upwards, Robert made a thankful gesture.

“But not looking for a music festival hook-up, if that’s what you mean by lucky.”

“A pity,” Robert said, eyeing her with a huge grin. “You and I could have had a lot of fun.”

Jack liked the paramedic, but currently he wanted to throttle the guy. “Ignore Robert. The sun gets to him real quick and he talks out of his head.”

Taylor laughed. “That explains a lot.”

“Besides, certain staff interactions aren’t encouraged.”

Robert eyed Jack as if he’d grown an extra head, and no wonder. “Never heard of it being discouraged, not here.”

There had been romances pop up between staff. Jack himself had met a few interesting women over the years that he’d enjoyed getting to know. But he didn’t want Robert having the wrong idea about Taylor.

She was off limits.

Next thing you knew, Jack was going to be beating his chest and acting like a fool. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Okay, Casanova, back off and let me introduce her to Duffy.”

He and Duffy had worked numerous events together and he genuinely liked the fifty-something travel nurse who craved adventure almost as much as Jack.

“Duffy Reynolds is who you need to see if you have questions and I’m not around.”

“Or you could ask me,” Robert volunteered, earning a glare from Jack. “I’d be happy to help with any questions. Or to give a tour of the grounds.”

Glancing toward Jack first, Taylor smiled at Duffy and ignored Robert’s comment. “Nice to meet you.”

Once he’d shown her their “twenty-bed” operation, he asked, “You checked out the stages?”

She shook her head. “When I arrived, I went straight to the main medical tent, registered, then came here.”

“You camping?”

She nodded. “Amy and I had planned to tent together with maybe a trip to her place for showers and refreshing ourselves if the shower lines were too long. I’m camping solo now.”

“Don’t let Robert hear you say that or he’ll offer to share his tent.”

Her gaze lifted. “He was just teasing.”

“Don’t you believe it,” Jack warned. “You so much as give him a smile and he’s going to be all over you in hopes of a festival fling. If that’s not what you want, steer clear.”

“Noted.”

Jack eyed her a moment, waiting for her to elaborate or say something further. “Is that what you want, Taylor?”

“A fling with Robert?” She shook her head. “I came to spend time with my best friend, not to have a fling.”

“That’ll make my job of keeping you safe easier.”

“He’s dangerous?”

Feeling guilty he’d given her that impression, Jack shook his head. “No. Just making sure I keep my promise to Amy to watch out for you. She wouldn’t be happy if I let someone break your heart while you’re here.”

“There is that,” she agreed, studying him. Smiling, Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re way more dangerous than Robert ever thought of being?”

He laughed. Yep, she was onto him.

“Come on, let’s walk around the grounds before it gets too crowded. People will be pouring in over the next twenty-four hours as this party gets started.”

* * *

Taylor had to admit she was impressed at the organization of the event. There were three main stages and several smaller ones. The five-night event offered everything from big-name pop stars to small-time local bands hoping to make it big someday. There were huge rows of food vendors and a shopping village made up of tents offering their wares. There was a comedy tent, a dance party tent, sponsored by a popular music television station, and a dozen more entertainment tents. Some tents were huge commercial numbers with electricity and some having generator-run air-conditioners even. And people. People were everywhere.

“It already looks crowded,” she mused, taking in the multitude checking out their surroundings prior to the first show kicking off. “How many more are expected?”

“They’re expecting about a hundred thousand attendees. By this time tomorrow night this place will be packed.”

Taylor nodded. She’d expected most of the festival-goers to be college-aged kids. Most were, but there was a huge variety of ages represented, even some young parents with two or three kids in tow and some who appeared to be older than Taylor’s parents.

“Most of what we’ll see in the medical tent will be dehydration and intoxication, but there’s always a mix of other things thrown in just to keep things interesting.”

Taylor knew security screened for drugs, but that where there was a will there was a way. Amy had told about some of the patients they’d seen over the years. Unfortunately, there had been a few overdose deaths.

“From what Amy’s told me, boredom shouldn’t be an issue.”

He laughed. “Boredom is what I hope for at these events.”

Taylor glanced his way. “Oh?”

“Boredom means everyone is having fun with no worries.”

“Ah.” Glancing out over the happy, energetic crowd, she nodded. “Then that’s what I’m going to hope for, too. Boredom.”

But glancing toward the man walking beside her, who was telling her about the different tents and upcoming acts as they made their way over to the main medical tent, Taylor suspected boredom was the last word she’d be using to describe the next few days.

CHAPTER TWO

TAYLOR FROWNED AT the pile of poles and canvas, then went back to studying the instructions. She was a highly skilled ICU nurse. She could put together a tent. No problem.

Well, okay, some problem.

Mainly, that every time she put one pole end in the designated loop it would pop out when she tried to put in the other end. What she needed was—

“You need help with that?”

Taylor jumped, then looked up at Jack. She started to tell him she had it, because she would figure it out and hadn’t she made great strides in not depending on a man for anything?

But common sense won out, so she smiled and said, “Um...yeah, I do. I’ve got a tarp down for a moisture barrier, got my tent all spread out like these say...” she waved the instructions “...but that end doesn’t want to stay in that loop thingy when I put in the other side.”

Jack’s lips twitched. “The loop thingy?”

Before she could say more, he bent down, threaded the pole back into the end loop just as she had. But when he bowed the pole and hooked the other side, the pole behaved and didn’t slip out on the other end.

“Well,” she mused, putting her hands on her hips, “you made that look easy.”

“It’s all in how you handle the pole.”

Taylor’s cheeks heated and she ordered her mind to get out of the gutter.

“Um...yeah...well...” She hemmed and hawed, then brushed her palms down her shorts. “Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime.”

His grin was cocky as all get-out. “Anything else I can help with?”

“I feel guilty you had to help with that,” she admitted. A strong independent woman should have been able to figure out how to put up a tent, right?

“Wasn’t any trouble. I was on my way to my tent to grab a drink.”

“Your tent?”

He gestured to the tent next to hers.

Next to hers. Seriously? The medical staff parking/camping area located behind the main medical tent wasn’t that big. What were the odds?

He was offering help, but that hard-won independent streak refused to be silent. “Grab that drink and check on me in a few minutes, if that’s okay.”

“Be glad to.” His eyes danced with what she could only describe as happiness. How could any one man radiate so much positivity?

Trying to ignore the fact that Jack was a tent away, that if she coughed, sneezed, or made any other weird noises, he’d hear, Taylor pulled the air mattress from its box and placed it inside the tent. She hit the battery-operated control button and was relieved when the unit blew up perfectly. Within minutes she had her bed made and her bag to one side. The tent was large enough that both she and Amy could have set up their air mattresses, so with just the one she had floor space.

“Everything going okay?” Jack asked when she climbed out of the tent.

“So far,” she told the man sitting in a fold-up chair facing in her direction.

He held a refillable drink container and a protein bar. “You know it’s killing me not helping, right?”

“White knight syndrome?”

He shrugged. “Momma taught me to be useful syndrome.”

Taylor laughed. “Fine. You can help.”

Immediately he rose, set his water bottle down on his much sturdier appearing table than the one she’d just pulled out of the back of her car.

“I take directions well.”

Taylor arched her brow. “A man who takes directions well? I thought those were the things of unicorns and fairies.”

He winked. “Try me and see.”

Taylor gulped back the thoughts that ran through her mind. “Well, I’ve got to set up the canopy tent. Amy said to be sure to put it as close as possible so it would help shade my sleeping tent.”

“Yep, otherwise your tent will be hot as Hades in the daytime.”

She pulled out the canopy tent her friend had left in her living room along with the other camping items for Taylor to pick up on her way to the festival. “Let’s see if we can figure this out.”

The canopy tent was easier to set up, and not just because Jack was helping.

Well, maybe because he was helping. Certainly, it was more fun and had gone faster.

“What’s next, ma’am?”

“The table?”

He lifted the folding table from where she’d propped it against her car and set it up beneath the canopy tent, which had been scooted partially over the entrance of the smaller tent she’d be sleeping in.

Holding up a lightweight tarp she’d pulled from a duffle bag that contained at least one more, Taylor said, “I found the tarp with the tent and used it as a moisture barrier per Amy’s instructions, but was I supposed to do something with these?”

“Amy usually attaches them to the sides of the canopy to create shade and keeps one to put over her tent if the weather doesn’t co-operate and it decides to flood.”

Taylor wrinkled her nose. “If it decides to flood, I’ll be sleeping in my car.”

Jack laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first person to do so. Just set an alarm so you don’t overheat after the sun comes up. It gets too hot fast inside a vehicle.” He took one of the tarps and began attaching it to the canopy. “With Amy canceling, I’m surprised you decided to camp rather than stay at her place.”

Trying to mimic how he was hanging the tarp, Taylor began attaching a second tarp to another side. “She insisted that rather than go back to her place I stay here and enjoy my first music festival.”

“Really?” He looked incredulous. “This is your first music festival?”

“Hard to believe I’ve been missing out on this all these years.” Giving him a wry look, she spread her arms to indicate the festival just beyond the main medical area.

Together they worked to attach the third tarp, leaving the fourth side open. “Since this is your first music festival experience, I’ll make sure it’s a good one so you’ll want to come back.”

Butterflies danced in Taylor’s belly. “Oh?”

“Since neither of us are on duty tonight, you want to watch the shows with me?”

Ha. Was this a trick question or what? Wander around by herself or sit next to a charismatic man who had awakened her dormant hormones? Hmm...hard decision.

It should have been a harder decision given his profession.

Still, she was smiling when she said, “I’d love to.”

* * *

Taylor could get into music festivals. Or maybe it was the man beside her she was into. Glancing over at him, she couldn’t help but think how fortunate she was to have him there this week since Amy hadn’t been able to attend. Otherwise she might really have packed up and gone to Amy’s.

Amy had texted earlier to make sure she’d arrived, and everything was okay. She’d not mentioned her unexpected reaction to Jack but had said everything was great.

Maybe if Jack were anything other than a doctor, she’d give in to the heat, let herself have a free pass life experience.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked back toward the stage where a band with a current chart-topping song had kicked off the festival an hour before and was still jamming out.

Around them others on blankets were watching the show and others danced along to the tunes, some dressed similar to Taylor’s shorts and T-shirt, some in costumes, some in not much of anything at all.

“Having fun?”

She smiled at Jack and nodded.

“The band is awesome, isn’t it?”

Again, she nodded. She didn’t really follow any particular band, but did enjoy singing along with the radio from time to time. The band playing really was good.

When the group on the main stage finished, Jack turned to her. “You want to stay here until the next band, move to a different stage, or go find something to eat?”

Her stomach growled. “Eat?”

He packed up the blanket they’d been sitting on into a backpack that he slung over his right shoulder. “What are you hungry for?”

“What are my options?”

“Anything from burgers to a meat and three. There seems to be vendors who offer just about anything you can think of. Why don’t we walk around for a while and see if anything catches your eye?”

“Or my nose,” she added, taking a sniff of the air. Something sure smelled good.

He laughed. “Or that.”

They ended up getting bowls of jambalaya from a Cajun food booth and standing at one of the chest-high tables set up near the row of vendors.

“This is good,” she enthused, hoping she didn’t have food on her face or between her teeth.

He’d already finished his. “Yep.”

Feeling self-conscious under his watchful eye, she asked, “Are there any particular bands you’re hoping to catch tonight?”

He named one she’d heard of but couldn’t recall the names of any of their songs. Sadly, she felt as if she’d been living under a rock since graduation. Before that, even.

She had been. She’d gone from toeing the line for her strict parents to toeing the line for Neil. She’d spent the last year learning to make decisions for herself, learning she didn’t need to have anyone’s directions or approval for the choices she made. If she messed up, so what? It was her life to live.

“That okay with you?”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

“If there are any particular shows you want to see, speak up and we’ll go. I’m game for whatever.”

“Duly noted.” Game for whatever. He had no clue as to what ran through her mind at his innocent comment.

Or maybe, with the way his eyes danced, his comment hadn’t been so innocent.

“How is it you’ve never been to a music festival?” He leaned across the table to stare into her eyes and, again, she wondered if perhaps he’d read her mind and knew more than she thought.

She shrugged. “Just not that lucky, I guess.”

“I’m glad you’re at this one.”

“Me, too.”

His grin shined brighter than the sparkly dance ball a few hundred yards away and Taylor really was glad she’d agreed to work the festival, that she’d gotten away from Louisville, and that she’d met Jack.

Because she was in charge of her life now, was making changes, reaching for new adventures, taking chances, had given herself permission to make mistakes as long as they were mistakes she’d chosen to make.

Her gaze connected with Jack’s, her heart speeding up as she wondered if she’d choose Jack as her next new adventure. If she could give herself permission to take a chance that he’d be her next mistake.

Because becoming involved with a man, any man, would be a mistake.

Becoming involved with Jack would be a big one. Colossal.

* * *

Taylor didn’t sleep well that night. Not that her bed wasn’t semi-comfortable. It had been. The night air wasn’t nearly as sticky and hot as she’d expected either. The temperature had almost been cool.

What had kept her awake had been the noises around the festival. Obviously, she and Jack had been the only people in the entire place who had wanted to sleep. Then again, there weren’t that many inside the event grounds who would be getting up at four a.m. to go to “work” either.

Donning a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, then slipped out of her tent.

Her gaze immediately went to Jack’s tent. In the dim moonlight and lights coming from the festival, she could see he was up. He gave a little wave.

Taylor’s stomach grumbled. Whatever Jack had going on his portable stove smelled a lot more mouth-watering than the breakfast bar with which she had planned to start her day.

“I made extra,” he told her in a low whisper.

Although there was noise coming from beyond the other side of the main medical tent, the medical staff camping area itself was relatively quiet other than crickets chirping and the early morning crew slowly making their way out of their tents.

“Thanks,” she mouthed, taking the plate. “Hey, this is good.”

He grinned. “Did you think it would taste bad?”

She shook her head. “Smelled too good for that. Just wasn’t expecting it to be amazing.”

They finished up, cleaned up their mess, then headed to the main medical tent. When they got inside, they checked in, were given that day’s mandatory medical staff T-shirt and would change each day. Guys changed T-shirts in the main area. Taylor fought—and lost—to keep her eyes from soaking up the rippling of Jack’s muscles. As he pulled his T-shirt down over his six-pack, his gaze met hers and he grinned, as if he knew she’d been watching him and had liked what she’d seen.

“I, uh, need to put this on,” she mumbled, turning to go to one of several enclosed areas in the tent where any private examinations would take place inside the main medical tent. She quickly stripped off her T-shirt and replaced it with the designated one.

She crammed her removed shirt into the backpack she’d brought with her and returned to where the others were waiting for a staff member to drive them to the medical tent.

When they arrived, Jack reached up to take Taylor’s hand to assist her off the golf cart. It might have been before the crack of dawn, but that didn’t stop the zings that shot up Taylor’s arm at holding his hand. Zings shot and her heart kaboomed.

“Thank you,” she murmured, cramming her fingers in her pocket the moment he let go. How was it possible to go from completely dead inside to so very aware? Had her body just saved years’ worth of sexual nothingness and was unleashing it all at once?

And why, why, why, why couldn’t he have been anything other than a doctor? To give in to Jack’s smile would mean ignoring not only her man aversion but also her decision that never ever would she get involved with another doctor.

At the medical tent they switched with the night shift and took over the few cases currently being treated. Taylor reviewed a case of possible food poisoning and an intoxication patient. As the sun came up and the hours passed, the temperature soared. A steady trickle of people came in with various complaints.

Two young girls came into the tent. One asked for a bandage for her leg as she’d tripped and skinned her knee.

Taylor started to register the girl and do minor wound care, but Duffy waved her off. “I’ve got this one.”

While Duffy was cleaning the girl’s grazed leg, another two young women came in. One was almost completely supporting the other.

“She started passing out but never completely did, but she’s talking out of her head, like she did something, you know, but she didn’t do anything,” the patient’s friend gushed, not pausing for breath as Taylor helped them over to a vacant cot.

“I was flipping out,” the woman continued. “I wasn’t sure she was going to make it here and then what was I going to do?”

“I’m just really hot,” the barely coherent patient said, her hand on her temple. “And my head hurts.”

“Name?”

“Cindy Frazier,” the friend answered. “We’re nineteen. I’m Lori. We’re from Maine.”

Maine? That was a long way to travel for a music festival, Taylor thought as she got Cindy registered.

Taylor ran a thermometer over her forehead.

Eek. One hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit.

She glanced around to see who was free and could grab an ice pack. Everyone was with someone except Jack.

“Dr. Morgan?”

Odd to call him that when in her head he was Jack. He glanced up from his clipboard, his blue gaze meeting hers.

“I have a hyperthermia case. Temp is one-oh-five. Can you grab an ice pack and ice water, please, while I finish checking vitals?” She supposed she should have offered to get them and let him take over with the patient, but Jack didn’t balk, just rushed to get the needed supplies.

Cindy moaned and clutched at her stomach.

“Are you feeling nauseous?”

Eyes squished closed, she nodded. “I may throw up.”

Jack stepped up, handed Taylor the items she’d requested. “I’ll get an emesis pan and anti-emetic.”

Taylor wrapped the ice pack collar around the girl’s neck.

“That’s cold!” she complained, shivering.

“We have to cool you down. You got too hot and you’re dehydrated, that’s why you’re feeling so bad.”

Jack was back, and handed the plastic pan to the girl. He bent to shine a penlight into Cindy’s eyes, then her nose and mouth. He listened to her heart and lung sounds.

“She’s tachycardic.”

Taylor opened the bottle top then handed the girl the iced water. “I want you to get as much fluid in you as you can.”

“I’ll throw it up.”

“Maybe not, but if you do, use the pan if you can. Just drink.” She glanced at Jack. “You okay with me starting the cold IV fluid and putting the anti-emetic in?”

“You took the words out of my mouth.”

She checked the girl’s veins and frowned. Dehydrated, Cindy’s veins were poor at best. Still, Taylor had always prided herself on being good at accessing veins and hopefully would hit her mark the first try, despite not having much to work with.

Gathering her supplies, Taylor then cleaned her IV site with an alcohol pad while Jack finished examining Cindy, including rechecking her temperature.

“Still one-oh-five.”

“Is that bad?” Lori asked, wringing her hands as she watched them work on her friend.

“It hasn’t gone up, so that’s a good thing,” Taylor assured her, breathing a sigh of relief when the IV catheter slid into Cindy’s vein perfectly. “Once we get these cold fluids in, her temp should drop.”

If not, they’d put her in the ice tub.

“I feel like I can’t breathe,” Cindy gasped, putting her hand to her chest.

“It’s going to be okay, Cindy.” Jack sounded calm as he continued to assess the girl, watching her closely. “Just take slow, deep breaths.”

Cindy visibly took a deep breath.

As Taylor taped the IV line to Cindy’s left hand, she fought breathing deeply herself as Jack’s voice was so hypnotic.

“Your temperature will start dropping any minute,” Jack assured their patient. “Once that happens, you’ll slowly start feeling better.”

Jack’s soothing voice made Taylor feel better as she grabbed the anti-emetic to go into the IV. Lots better. How could he be so calm when the girl’s situation really could turn dire if what they were doing didn’t work?

“I’m scared,” Cindy admitted, bursting into tears, which caused her friend to also burst into tears.

“Look at me, Cindy.”

The young woman lifted her tearful gaze to Jack’s. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re doing all the right things to get your temperature down and we’ll keep you here until you’re feeling okay. You’re going to be fine.”

“Phew,” Lori sighed in relief, sniffling as she plopped down onto an empty cot next to Cindy’s. “She’s not the only one who’s scared. I’ve heard about people dying at music events but never thought about it possibly happening to someone I knew. She had me terrified when she started blacking out.”

Taylor leaned forward to inject the medication, but before she could administer it, Cindy’s body tensed. Taylor grabbed for the emesis pan, but lightning fast Jack had it to the woman’s mouth, making it just in time.

“Oh, no,” her friend groaned as Cindy heaved her stomach contents into the pan. “This is bad. I know it is.”

“It’s not uncommon for someone with hyperthermia to throw up.” Taylor injected the anti-emetic into the IV solution. “The nausea should calm down soon, too.”

Fortunately, it did.

Due to the degree of Cindy’s hyperthermia, Taylor stayed with her, closely monitoring her vitals over the next thirty minutes.

Jack came and went as he checked other patients who’d come in for care. Most were minor issues, thank goodness.

As Taylor checked Cindy’s temperature yet again, Jack walked up behind her.

“What is her temp now?”

“Ninety-nine.”

“That’s awesome,” Jack praised, placing his hand on Taylor’s shoulder. “Almost back to normal.”

Relieved at how Cindy was responding to their treatment and wondering at how her own temperature had just spiked at Jack’s innocent touch, Taylor nodded.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze before his hand fell away.

Gracious. Had he felt it, too? The sparks that flew when they touched? Or was she just crazy and imagining things in the midst of patient care?

Cindy finished off her water.

Reaching to take the bottle, Taylor gave a thumbs-up. “Want another?”

Although her color and disposition had greatly improved, the girl still looked weak. “Will it help me get back to normal quicker?”

“You may not feel yourself for a few days but, yes, hydrating well is vital,” Jack answered, then listened to Cindy’s chest again. When he removed his stethoscope from his ears, he grinned. “Heart rate is down to eighty-eight.”

“Is that good?” Lori asked. To give the girl credit, she’d stayed by her friend’s side, encouraging her to drink more water and holding her hand during the times Cindy got overly emotional.

Taylor chatted with Cindy for a few minutes, then left her to rest on the cot with Lori watching over her so she could help with other patients now that Cindy was stable.

“Great job there,” Jack praised when she joined him at a triage table, where he was attending to a new patient.

“Thanks. I’ll take this one from here so you can check on the other patients,” she offered, knowing the tent was hopping with patients who probably needed his attention.

Their gazes met. Taylor’s belly flip-flopped.

Jack rose from where he sat. “Thanks.”

The new patient looked worn out, hot and couldn’t give any specific symptoms, just that she felt exhausted. Taylor took her information, checked her vitals—all of which were normal—then put her on a cot and went to get her water.

When she got back, the girl was sound asleep.

“Well, okay, then,” she said, picking up the clipboard with the girl’s information and making a note.

“We’ll have some who do that.” Jack walked up beside her to watch the girl sleep. “They’ll come to medical just to take a break from the hyper-stimulation and to cool down.”

“It’s a whole different world from anything I’ve ever known,” Taylor admitted.

“Just wait until we watch the shows tonight. Last night will seem tame.”

She shot a curious look his way. He planned on them going to watch the shows together again?

“The costumes, the people, the vibe in the air.” His excitement came through, creating its own vibe. “Tonight people will have found their bearings and will be more relaxed. There will be more booze, drugs, sex, more everything.”

More. Her cheeks heated. “Oh.”

“No worries. Most are here to have a good time. We’re here to make sure they do it without any lasting problems.”

His grin was so infectious Taylor’s breath caught.

Apparently, it didn’t matter that Jack was a doctor and she’d sworn the profession and men off forever.

Now that her body had remembered it was young, healthy, full of hormones, it refused to be ignored.

Not only refused to be ignored but demanded attention. Jack’s attention.

Why not? an inner voice asked. It wasn’t as if anything that happened this week would go beyond the music festival.

Maybe she could—should—forget an outside world existed and just go with the flow. Wasn’t that what she was trying to do? Step outside her comfort zone?

Jack Morgan was way outside her comfort zone and would be one humdinger of a life experience.

CHAPTER THREE

BATHING HAD NEVER felt so good.

Taylor had had to wait in line over half an hour to get into the shower, but the wait had been worth it. To have washed the dust from her hair and put on clean clothes felt amazing.

When she went back to the medical camping ground, Jack, Duffy, Robert and a few others were playing guitars in front of Jack’s tent. Duffy was singing a country song about wild women and drinking too much.

Taylor grabbed her chair and joined the group. Listening to their song, she brushed out her hair, then braided it into a French braid, twisting a band around the end. When she’d finished, her gaze collided with Jack’s.

He’d been watching her. With more than casual interest.

Then again, there was nothing casual about the sparks that had flown between them all day.

He winked and, heart kerthunking, she winked back.

Something she’d never done. Her ex hadn’t been the kind of man one winked at. Neil hadn’t been playful or fun. Ever.

Jack was playful and fun.

At some point he’d gotten a shower, too. He looked refreshed in his navy shorts and T-shirt while he plucked the strings of a rather beat-up, well-loved-appearing guitar, keeping perfect tune with the others.

Having no musical talent, Taylor was impressed.

She was even more impressed when Duffy’s song ended and they started playing another. This time Jack did the vocals. His voice was a raspy baritone that reached inside and tugged at her very being.

The man had a beautiful, unique timbre.

A beautiful, unique everything.

She wanted to close her eyes and just listen to his voice, but her eyes refused to be denied the privilege of feasting on the image of him strumming along on his guitar while he sang.

When the song ended, Taylor clapped and gave a self-conscious whistle. Another first. This stepping outside one’s comfort zone thing wasn’t so bad.

Actually, it was kind of fun.

“I think you have a groupie,” Duffy teased.

“Never had a groupie before,” Jack mused, his smile aimed at Taylor. “But we are at a music festival, so I’m game.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever been a groupie,” Taylor admitted, knowing her cheeks were pink but that a silly smile was on her face. “Maybe I’ll settle for being an avid fan, rather than a full-fledged groupie.”

“Far less fun. Stick with the groupie,” Robert suggested, gathering a few laughs.

“Avid fan is more my speed,” Taylor admitted, feeling a little self-conscious that all the men’s attention was now on her rather than their music. “Don’t stop playing on my account. I was enjoying listening.”

“You play?” Duffy asked, offering her his guitar.

She shook her head. Maybe she’d add guitar lessons to the growing list of things she’d tried since her divorce. So far she’d taken art classes, cooking classes, exercise classes, and was taking a foreign language course online. Not necessarily to expand her horizons but to figure out things she liked and enjoyed rather than be an extension of her parents, then Neil.

“You sing?” Robert asked.

She gave him a dubious look. “Not if I want to keep any of you as friends.”

A few chuckles sounded.

“We’re not a picky crowd, so feel free to join in at any time. The more the merrier.”

Duffy launched into another song, but Taylor didn’t know the words so joining in wasn’t an option even if she’d wanted to give it a try.

After a few more songs Robert stood, stretched, and announced he had plans to meet a cute little nurse who was working in the main medical tent. The others left one by one, leaving Taylor and Jack.

“Do you really not play or sing or you just didn’t want to show up us guys?”

“Ha,” Taylor snorted. “Believe me when I say I did you a favor by keeping my mouth shut.”

Jack’s gaze dropped to her lips. “A shame. I’m positive I’d enjoy hearing you sing.”

“You only say that because you’ve not heard me do so,” she assured him, thinking she’d never be comfortable enough to sing in public.

“You don’t sing, you don’t play music, and this is your first music festival.” His gaze searched hers. “What do you do in your free time, Taylor?”

Good question. One that two years ago she’d have answered with do everything she could to keep her husband happy, spend all her time trying to somehow be good enough so that perhaps their failing marriage would morph into what she’d once dreamed it would be. A year ago she’d have answered with cry and try not to dwell on the mess she’d made by not really knowing the man she’d married in a whirlwind while thinking she was the luckiest girl alive that a handsome plastic surgeon wanted to marry a plain Jane like her.

Thank goodness she’d never given in to his wanting her to not work but stay home. As his wife, she’d gone part time, but had kept working. The ICU, her patients had been her solace. Other than her work, she’d had no life, no being Taylor, just Mrs. Dr. Neil Norris.

“I run.” One of the habits she’d picked up immediately following her divorce.

“Competitively?”

She snickered. “Hardly. I run for me, to relieve stress, for exercise, to clear my head.”

She’d started on a whim of wanting to be healthy but running had quickly become her therapy. She spent the time working through the past, how it had molded her, how she was determined to break those molds and forge herself into a person she liked. Neither her indifferent parents nor Neil got the final say on who she was.

“So you work, sleep and run.” Jack frowned. “Not a very exciting life you’re describing, Taylor. Surely there’s more?”

“I never claimed I led an exciting life.” She crossed her arms as she stared back.

“What else, Taylor?” he pushed.

Glancing down at the green grass beneath her tennis shoes, she shrugged. “I have all the usual hobbies people have.” She did. Now. “I sculpt.”

She’d signed up for the sculpting class after seeing an ad she’d come across on social media but had loved it from the first moment she’d felt the clay between her fingers.

Jack’s brow lifted. “As in statues of naked men?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “That’s such a guy question.”

His lips twitched. “But is it true?”

“A couple of times,” she admitted, her face warm and getting warmer at how his eyes twinkled.

“In the name of art, right?” he teased.

Smiling, Taylor didn’t bother to explain she’d been oblivious to the men who’d posed during her art class. She could barely recall what they’d looked like. What she’d enjoyed had been the feel of the clay beneath her fingers as she’d taken nothing and transformed it into something.

Much as she’d done with her life.

Nothing to something.

“I’d like to see some of your work.”

Unless he saw the piece she’d brought to give to Amy, it was unlikely. Until recently, she hadn’t wanted anyone to see her work as too much of her was caught up in it.

“Or if you got the urge to work while here and needed inspiration...” His tone teased.

Yeah, had Jack been the model, she seriously doubted she’d have been oblivious. Looking at the man was like looking at the most interesting piece of artwork she’d ever encountered, beautiful, intriguing, and full of character.

Meeting his gaze and feigning excitement, she couldn’t resist saying, “You really think Robert would do that for me?”

Jack laughed. “I’m sure you could convince him.”

“I don’t know,” she said, trying to sound unsure. “There’s that nurse he was meeting when he took off earlier.”

“There is that.” Jack’s gaze stayed locked with hers, both of them smiling, Taylor feeling really good on the inside.

This, she thought. This was fun. Light and held no real meaning. Just a man, a woman, and good old-fashioned physical chemistry.

Was the new Taylor the real Taylor, okay with starting something with Jack—a doctor, for goodness’ sake!—when she knew they’d go their separate ways when the music festival ended because she didn’t want a relationship? Not that she suspected he did either, just that she didn’t want a man in her life. She had too many things to still learn about herself.

“Hungry?”

Starved, and not for food. She wanted what she saw in his eyes, in what being near him hinted at within her body.

Did that mean she was okay with a meaningless fling?

Or maybe she just wanted to learn what Jack could teach her about herself?

He propped his guitar against his chair and stood. “I have sandwich stuff. You want to eat with me or grab something from a vendor?”

“You don’t have to feed me.” Was she talking food or sex? Or both? “I brought food.”

His lips twitched. “Something more exciting than ham and cheese?”

“Does such a thing exist?” she asked with feigned seriousness, eliciting a laugh.

While he pulled out his sandwich supplies from his cooler, Taylor dug through her supplies to find a plastic container of cookies she’d made, thinking she and Amy would gobble them up.

When she set them on his table, he stopped what he was doing and helped himself to one.

“Hey, these are good.”

He sounded so surprised that Taylor laughed.

“You didn’t mention anything about being a good cook,” he accused.

“I’m not, but I can bake cookies.”

During her classes, she’d discovered she found cooking so-so but enjoyed baking. She’d mastered basic skills but had thrown herself into spending more time at her sculpting class.

“They’re good,” he repeated, reaching for another.

She slapped at his hand. “Didn’t your mother make you wait until after dinner before having dessert?”

His gaze lifted to hers and, grinning, he shook his head. “My mom would have been the first to encourage me to have the good stuff first because life is short.”

Taylor’s brow rose. Wow. “Sounds fun.”

And very unlike her older parents who hadn’t planned to have children, hadn’t wanted them, but had been stuck with her all the same.

“But not very nutritious,” Jack added wryly.

“There is that.”

* * *

Jack spread a blanket on the ground a good distance back from the stage. He and Taylor could have made their way closer, but closer to the stage meant more crowded. No way could they have seen from their sitting positions.

Taylor’s arms were wrapped around her knees and she was watching the band as if they were the most fascinating group she’d ever seen. Her head bobbed ever so slightly to the beat.

“Our little jam session may fail to impress you now that you’ve seen this.”

She glanced toward him. “Not likely. You were good.”

“Glad you thought so.”

Still looking his way, she asked, “Did you ever want to play music professionally?”

He chuckled. “Probably the same as every other kid who played an instrument dreams of being a rock star. But if you mean was I ever in a band then, yeah, a few over the years.”

“What happened?”

“I wasn’t that good, and I fell in love with medicine.”

Her expression became thoughtful. “A musician or a physician. Interesting choices.”

“Maybe if I’d been better at the music there wouldn’t have been a choice.” He shrugged. “Once I was exposed to medicine, there wasn’t a choice. I knew that’s what I was supposed to do.”

Not once had he ever regretted that decision. Sometimes life threw things at you to point you in the right direction. In his case, life had hit him over the head—heart—to steer him down the right path.

“I’m glad you get to play from time to time and have both in your life.”

Ready to shove the past back as far away as it would go, he took a drink. “I enjoy life.”

A true statement. He’d dealt with what had happened years ago to Courtney and had spent years making atonement. It was all he could do.

“Not many people can say that,” Taylor mused, her voice sounding almost wistful.

He turned toward her. “Can you?”

She took a long time answering, but finally nodded. “I am enjoying life very much. Thank you.”

The emotion in her voice, almost surprise, at her answer did funny things to Jack’s chest.

He reached over, took her hand into his and gave a reassuring squeeze. “I’m glad you’re enjoying life, Taylor.”

He was also glad that rather than pull her hand away, she laced her fingers with his and shot a grateful smile toward him. As if maybe she’d meant right now, this very moment, was what had made her say she was enjoying life.

That he played a role in her happiness.

A humbling thought.

There was something fragile about Taylor. Something that brought out a protectiveness that left him feeling a bit lost.

In the past, if he’d felt an attraction to a woman and that attraction was reciprocated, he’d acted without hesitation. Lord knew, he was no saint. Far, far from it.

Taylor felt an attraction to him. He was sure of it. Although there was a hesitation on her face at times, she hadn’t really tried to hide her interest. But there was a vulnerability in her eyes that had him second-guessing himself. He didn’t do vulnerable in his personal relationships and sure didn’t want to feel protective of someone he was destined to walk away from.

Still, what he wanted to do was lean over and kiss Taylor.

They wouldn’t be the only couple at the concert making out. Kissing would be tame compared to some of the amorous sessions that happened around the festival.

But most of those making-out sessions were just chemistry playing out between young, healthy couples.

Just?

What was it he thought was between Taylor and him should he kiss her, if not just chemistry?

He didn’t do relationships that weren’t just physical chemistry. Not ever.

Well, once, but never again.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.